I am having trouble applying principles of Buddhism to general aspects of romantic relationships. What are your ideas?

Remember that unconditional love comes from the lack of clinging. Even something like a romantic relationship is the result of clinging to something, so at that point it already becomes conditional.

But it’s important to not confuse the ideal and the practice. To reach there, we practice letting go. But that doesn’t mean doing so blindly. Rather, we have to do so by learning about our attachments and their pitfalls.

In your case, the narrative of acceptance only adds to your confusion. Why can’t you just accept being stuck in this relationship? Well, it’s for the same reason why you couldn’t accept not forming this relationship in the first place. My advice is to look at that beginning point—look at your original expectations and how it led you here. Regardless of whether you choose to break up or not, that’s a more useful practice than blindly accepting everything.

/r/Buddhism Thread